A PRIMORDIAL FROG SOUP MYSTERY

...from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have

been, and are being evolved." Charles Darwin. The Origin of Species 1859

Almost three weeks have passed since frogs of many species answered their seasonal call of the
wild.Stirred by early warmth they hopped off to their vernal ponds for mass matings.
When it comes to frog sex there is little in the way of discretion or privacy.
Each species creates its own croak, harrumph, peep, or quack (wood frogs quack!) to attract
mates of their species.
That is nature's way.

But today, after wandering back to my woodland vernal pond to listen to early spring in the
woods - something I often do - and seeing one particular frog again, kind of by himself again,
I began to wonder if perhaps nature is experimenting in a fashion that would make Darwin smile.

Wood frogs have a distinct dark mask across the eyes and dark colored legs with occasional
dark bands on the legs. Larger leopard frogs have spotted legs. And so when I first saw this
frog I was puzzled and sent the photo to a Michigan herpetologist who wrote to let me
know "It's a wood frog", but "oddly colored" with "unusual" markings on the legs.
I wondered some more.

And now maybe you wonder too.

Is this frog perhaps the result of a bit of froggy frolics and dallying and diddling between species last spring on a warm and sultry rainy night of hard-wired, fast-paced frog lust.

The answer remains a secret of the frog's night world of primordial soup we call vernal ponds.

Look closely: The mystery frog is just right of center, about 1/3 the way up from bottom.

Post a Comment

About Me

Jonathan Schechter, a naturalist and resident of Brandon Township with a passion for outdoor adventure and severe weather events writes a weekly hiking column for the Oakland Press. He lives on 11 acres with a rich mix of wildlife, meadows, woods and wetlands. He has a Master of Science Degree in Forest Resources from the U. of Washington and is an active member of the Wilderness Medical Society certified in Advanced Wilderness Life Support. His writings and nature photos reveal ways humans are subtly yet dynamically altering the behavior of wildlife leading to a corruption of nature's way and wildlife behavior. Join his Earth Almanac blog as Jonathan shares thoughts on our natural world in Oakland County and beyond.